“We trust products from Heidelberg and in particular are very happy with the service,” confirms Rainer Grobe, Managing Partner of Print Media Group (PMG) based in Hamm in Westphalia. The partnership with Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) goes back decades, and is continuously being expanded. Griebsch & Rochol Druck GmbH in Hamm, a member of the PMG Group, recently celebrated a special achievement: the Suprasetter 105 passed the one million mark for imaged plates.
This is a European record and is surpassed only by two Suprasetter installations in Asia. “As the world’s first user of the Suprasetter 105 with the Dual Cassette Loader, we had the platesetter up and running a full six months before the official market launch at drupa 2012,” recalls Mathias Kremer, Head of Prepress. “The platesetter has two cassettes, each of which holds 100 plates in two formats. We got the latest software updates through our contact with the drupa installation team and rarely had any other downtimes.”
The press room is home to three Speedmaster machines in 102 and 106 format with a total of 23 printing units and one coating unit, which operate in three shifts, five days a week. All processes from prepress to press and postpress are controlled using the Prinect Production 2019 workflow. The Heidelberg Assistant provides current statistics as well as access to the eShop, where toner for the two digital Versafire printing systems can be ordered and service can be scheduled.
The printing presses achieve an overall equipment efficiency of up to 50 percent. The company prints publishing products such as journals, brochures, financial reports, and loose-leaf collections for regional and national customers. The average run length is 3,500 sheets. Griebsch & Rochol relies on the complete service provided by Heidelberg, both for its Suprasetter and its printing presses.
“We get great service for the Suprasetter by always having the same Heidelberg technician, who has even helped us on Saturdays and is very customer-oriented,” confirms Mathias Kremer. Using Remote Service, the technician can connect to the platesetter in advance and get an idea of what is going on. The service agreement includes regular inspections based on checklists and the replacement of spare parts, although the Suprasetter 105 still has its original laser head. Heidelberg manufactures the CtP platesetter in Germany, at its Wiesloch-Walldorf site.
“The number of jobs is increasing and the run lengths are declining,” explains Martin Titt, Managing Director of Griebsch & Rochol. “The number of jobs has doubled in the last five years, so we need integrated and connected processes to remain competitive.” The number of plates increased from 130,000 a year in 2017 to over 150,000 plates in 2018. With a throughput of 38 plates an hour, the Suprasetter has produced an average of 600 plates a day over the last 30 months, including Saturday and Sunday.
“Printing alone is no longer enough today, so we are increasingly offering our customers services like consulting, layout, subscription management, databases, electronic publishing, app development, and logistics management. They expect fast delivery, something we can deliver with stable machines,” confirms Titt. The processes are set to improve further in the future. A new Suprasetter with automatic beveling technology and sorting line is planned for the medium term.
